Meet Melvin Chee and Christy Lim. Co-founders of Eubi, which produces a range of universal portable chargers that everyone can afford. This is their entrepreneurial story.

Where did you get the idea for your business?

We realised that there was a huge gap in the market because other available portable smartphone and tablet chargers are way overpriced. So, we set out on a mission to provide more affordable options for portable chargers for the Australian market with Eubi.

How did you get your business started?

We started in the traditional, old-fashioned way: going door to door. Initially, we visited every convenience store in the Melbourne CBD, asking if they would stock our portable chargers. Within four months, we were then lucky enough to have Eubi stocked in major mobile retail chains, such as Vodafone and Telstra.

What lessons have you learned so far on your business journey?

1. Don’t be afraid to start young, like we have with Eubi, because everyone has to start somewhere. You don’t necessarily need to have it all together to start something.

2. Rejection can lead to innovation, so don’t fear it. Every rejection leads you closer to success.

3. Never dismiss an opportunity without fully considering it. Any opportunity – no matter how big or small – may lead you to something great in the future, as long as you have the faith and the passion to see it through.

How important for you has it been to have a mentor?

Having a mentor for Eubi has definitely been beneficial for us throughout our business journey. This was especially true in the early stages when we needed someone who had valuable, real-life experience in business and was able to guide us in making informed decisions.

What are your top three tips for starting a business?

1. Validation. Validate all of the assumptions that you’ve created about your product by speaking to your potential customers.

2. Network. Connect, communicate and collaborate with people who are currently doing the things that you want to do.

3. Marketing strategy. Always seek out new and innovative ways to effectively showcase your products. The team at Eubi sits together at least once a month to discuss new marketing trends that we could explore and apply to our products. Every trial and error has only led us closer to our goal!

The websites that were most influential in your journey towards launching your business?

Melvin Chee

Website: Tech In Asia

Reason: I love the Tech In Asia AMA (Ask Me Anything) feature on the website, where they bring successful entrepreneurs into the forum and run an AMA session. It’s great to be able to ask about real-life situations and decisions that they’ve had to make in the past. I’ve personally made great contacts with entrepreneurs on this forum, too.

Christy Lim

Website: TED

Reason: There have been times where I’ve felt uninspired or discouraged to move forward with my ideas. The stories shared on TED have inspired me to step out of what I know, to challenge what we perceive to be reality and the status quo. One of my long-term goals is one day to be featured on TED.

Melvin Chee is a current student of the RMIT Bachelor of Business, Economics and Finance. Christy Lim is a current student of the RMIT Master of Business Administration.

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